Pettit pours it on at Showcase

ALFRED — Jordyn Pettit had a dominating double-double performance with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds during the rescheduled Dan Barkley Showcase at Alfred University Sunday afternoon.

Pettit had her best showing in the third quarter, when she helped create a 15-point lead that was too much for Hornell to overcome in the final minutes of the game. During the best moments of Sunday’s game, Pettit was the perfect stretch five player, knocking down jump shots, getting scores from the post and dominating the offensive glass.

"We told her over the last few days that we didn’t think Hornell had anybody who could stop her. Brian (Dyring) always does a good job of having a good gameplan, but we were telling (Pettit), just go to the basket strong, get to the rim and they won’t be able to stop you," said Wellsville coach Michelle Alvord. "She’s expanded her jump shot so she’s definitely a threat out there. And rebounding, I mean she had 10 boards tonight. She was relentless and they just didn’t have an answer for her."

Both Hornell and Wellsville traded jumpers in the opening minutes but the defense was tough right from the start Sunday as the teams both attempted to figure each other out.

Wellsville held a 7-5 lead for much of the quarter, until Hornell’s Chelsea Freeland buried a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Lady Raiders an 8-7 lead and force the Lion timeout.

The quick break worked like a charm for Wellsville, which rattled off a 5-0 run to end the quarter and take the 12-8 lead. First, Jordyn Pettit came down and buried an athletic and-one opportunity to give the Lions back the lead. Then Jana Whitehouse buried a pair of free throws to end the quarter.

In the second quarter, Wellsville stretched the run out to 9-0 and grabbed the 14-8 lead in the first two minutes of the quarter. The Lady Lions continued to play well throughout the second quarter, and after Quincy Buckley buried a 3-pointer and Regan Marsh hit a free throw, Wellsville had a commanding 18-9 lead with just 3:40 left in the first half.

"We focus a lot on defense in practice. Our defense has really been carrying us all season long, especially when we have a slower offensive output. I was really pleased with how hard the girls played today," said Alvord. "This was really the first game that we’ve had our whole team together since before Christmas. And this was a really team effort."

Jaden Sciotti finally broke up the run with a 3-pointer that was Hornell’s first field goal since the 1:13 mark of the first quarter.

But Pettit’s monster game was just heating up as she got a few fast break buckets in the final few minutes of the half to help give Wellsville the 25-14 lead at the break.

Pettit finished the half with 12 points, but had saved her best performance for the third quarter.

The senior wing player completely took over on both ends of the floor, creating a nightmare scenario for the Hornell defense.

Pettit was great in the fast break and she also finished with several great post moves to help increased the lead. And when Pettit didn’t take the first shot, she did a great job of cleaning the offensive glass and finishing with a putback. In the quarter, Wellsville took the 40-25 lead and Pettit scored 10 of her 24 points.

Hornell came out in the fourth and did everything it could to claw back in the game. But every time that Hornell made even a small run, the Lady Lions responded with a bucket of their own to quell any comeback bid.

In the end, Wellsville captured the 51-35 lead in what was likely the biggest game of the season for Wellsville so far.

"This was my last chance to play here. I knew that we had to go out and play as a team to get the win. This is a huge game for us. Not just because it’s against Hornell, but it’s also at Alfred and everybody is watching," said Pettit.

Jana Whitehouse had a big game for Wellsville to go along with Pettit’s performance. Whitehouse had 15 points including three 3-pointers. She also grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists in the win. The Lady Lions (8-3) now host Wayland-Cohocton on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.

Hornell was led by eight points from Abby Austin. Austin was the steadying force for a Red Raider team that was rusty coming off of a two week break.

"Abby for four years has always been the one kid that I can count on to play as hard as she can. Give her direction, and she’s going to go out and do her very best," said Dyring. "She’s always been the steady rock out of anybody on the floor."

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